Since John Delaney announced last July that he would not run for reelection to represent Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, 17 people have filed as candidates for that position.
Four Republicans: Kurt Elsasser, Amie Hoeber, Lisa Lloyd and Bradley Rohrs; eight Democrats: Andrew Duck, George English, Chris Graves, Nadia Hashimi, Christopher Hearsey, Roger Manno, Aruna Miller and David Trone; plus, Kevin Caldwell, Libertarian; George Gluck from the Green Party and two unaffiliated candidates: Ted Athey and Chin Yeh are official candidates.
Caldwell, Gluck, Athey and Yeh will be on the November ballot but are not involved in the primaries as Maryland has closed primaries for both the Democratic and Republican parties, meaning voters must be registered with a party to vote in that party's primary.
Potomac area voters are in either the 6th or the 8th Congressional District.
The Potomac Almanac attempted to contact all the major party candidates to do candidate profiles for this issue. Those who did not respond are listed along with website information for use in making choices.
Kurt Elsasser, Republican, www.elsasser4Congress.com Bradley Rohrs, Republican, bradrohrs.com Andrew Duck, Democrat, www.duckforcongress.org Chris Graves, Democrat, chrisgravesforcongress.com Roger Manno, Democrat, www.rogermanno.com.
Primary Election Day is June 26, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. See www.777vote.org.
George English
Democrat, Silver Spring
Qualification and motivation of George English for Congressional Office:
My higher education with degrees in Business Administration and Banking, International Management, and Masters Degrees in Economics and Marine Affairs, with Federal and private sector employment have enabled me to comprehend and propose sound alternatives to reverse the ever worsening distribution of national income and wealth. Too much money into too few hands caused the Great Depression. The real incomes of most citizens are declining, exacerbating social discord and creating political paralysis.
I am an Army veteran and a retired economist with a career extending over 30 years, mostly with the Federal government but also with the airport development industry. I believe that serious changes must be made to the way politics are conducted and issues are debated and resolved. The recent severe economic crisis was the consequence of decades of criminally destructive mismanagement of the public's interest by the Congress which has resulted in the huge economic inequalities that are destroying the middle class and the taxation base needed to finance government programs. The distribution of personal income has declined to below the disastrous level of 1928, which was partially ameliorated with the restoration of middle class incomes and savings from the doubling of the economy during World War II. The most troubling symptoms of current social unrest from the present economic crisis are the pernicious assault upon our constitutional Bill of Rights protections and the inexcusable failure of the Federal government to help all of the innocent victims of the crisis, especially the homeless. Three other adverse troubling concerns have recently arisen: the implementation of regressive tax law revisions that exacerbate the maldistribution of income and wealth, the trillion dollar 30 years upgrade of the nuclear arsenal, and the imminent onset of a Second Cold War. The 25 issue papers listed below discuss my thoughts about the problems facing our society and present suggested solutions for those concerns. I have no campaign sponsors or contributors and, if elected, will use my best judgment of what is their effects upon the public interest when voting on issues. I will not be subservient to any partisan ideology and have no intention of becoming a career politician. I would greatly appreciate having the opportunity to be your truly independent Democrat voice in Congress. (Note: An unsolicited Parents Choice endorsement of tmy 2014 candidacy was received. Hopefully, I would receive their endorsement again after review of my 2018 candidacy.) For your convenience, click on www.georgetenglish.com/bio.html for my page of biographic information or click on any of the issues listed below to display the text.
Nadia Hashimi
Democrat, Potomac
Writing novels around themes that I think deserve our attention (education, poverty, drug addiction, inequality, immigration) has put me on an incredible path. We've had profound conversations in living rooms, libraries and places of worship.
But the political landscape of the past couple of years has propelled me to do something more.
I've decided to run for office - the Congressional seat for Maryland's 6th district to be specific.
Here's my fairly personal video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_WXEqJbwd0&feature=youtu.be) introducing my intentions. There's a whole lot more information on my website (https://nadiahashimi.com/). Our institutions and systems are failing our families. I know we can do better.
Please consider following my journey and watching me challenge the status quo on Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media platform under @HashimiForUs.
I've already been told that I'll have a hard time breaking into this good-old-boys-club that is Maryland politics. But my characters wouldn't back down from a challenge like that, so here I go.
Chris Hearsey
Democrat, Gaithersburg
My name is Chris Hearsey and I am a Democrat running to represent Maryland's 6th congressional district. I am 38 years old, an aerospace executive and research scientist, and I reside in Gaithersburg.
What sets me apart in this race is that I grew up in rural and small towns as much as big cities. I understand those who seek new opportunities in urban areas as well as those who stay behind to keep the community alive. I have seen the culture of resentment bubble up when politicians don't recognize what rural and urban communities need. But most importantly, I am neither a billionaire seeking to buy this seat nor in the pocket of special interests. I am an independent progressive Democrat. I am someone who has succeeded understanding that hard work alone can't get you all the way in life. In our communities, we depend on each other to get by — whether it’s neighborly kindness and respect or social services to help you up when life knocks you down. No matter where you live in western Maryland, I will fight for you in Congress to ensure that our young people have greater economic opportunities, our veterans have access to the medical care that they deserve for their sacrifice and service to our country, and our senior citizens get the benefits government has promised. As your representative in Congress, I will always be your neighbor ready to help and listen to the needs of the community.
Amie Hoeber
Republican, Potomac
My name is Amie Hoeber. I live in Montgomery County and I’m a Republican running for Congress for Maryland’s Sixth Congressional District. I’m a mother, a stepmother and a grandmother. I am a national security expert and author, small business owner and an advocate for women in business, politics and the military. I have spent my life working for the national security of our country in both Government and the private sector. As a member of the Board of the House of Ruth Maryland, I have for more than a decade helped women facing adversity. The breadth and depth of my experience gives me the right tools to address effectively both national and Maryland’s 6th Congressional District issues. I am the only candidate with Federal management experience. As U.S. Army Deputy Under Secretary, I allocated billions of dollars. Through that experience I gained understanding of Federal processes and will use this to get Federal money for the Sixth District. I also have a deep understanding of the unique needs of the entire District. My approach is to work to move Congress beyond the current political divisiveness through empathy and cooperation. As your next Member of Congress I will focus on addressing all issues in terms of the interests of the people of my District. I will support measures that help the country and the District and oppose policies and programs that do not. Specifically, as a close ally to Governor Hogan I will work to bring Federal investment for transportation and infrastructure improvements and to fight the opioid addiction epidemic with local programs. I will improve our economy through supporting small businesses, cutting taxes and regulations to provide economic well-being and through empowering our citizens to use free-market solutions to solve their individual healthcare needs. I will work to ensure public safety and address issues raised by illegal immigration in our District.
Lisa Lloyd
Republican, Potomac
I am running for office because I am concerned about the policies that are chipping away at our American way of life as established by the founders of this country. As a nurse practitioner I work in private practice, urgent care, home infusions and volunteer in clinics for the uninsured. I’ve raised four children and all have attended local public schools. I am a registered provider with Maryland’s CRISP database, confronting daily the elements of the opioid epidemic. With an MBA in International Business, and fluent in Spanish, I worked in Mexico as a government liaison so I have a deep understanding of immigrations issues. I am on the front line dealing personally with major issues facing our nation every day, which makes me the best candidate for the job.
I am concerned about the lack of affordable healthcare, illegal immigration, and current disregard for the Constitution. We cannot be the sanctuary nation for the world. State and federal government must enforce immigration laws and Voter ID. Our 1st and 2nd amendment rights are constantly being threatened. We need to protect the rights for all that are guaranteed in our Constitution. I am not, nor strive to be a career politician. I do not owe any individual or special interest groups, which gives me the freedom to speak and vote for conservative ideals, and if elected will always vote as I have campaigned.
Aruna Miller
Democrat, Darnestown
Throughout my career in public service, my guiding principles have been empathy, compassion, and fairness. I have dedicated my adult career to public service, which is why I am running for Congress. As a legislator I have fought to increase funding to support a balanced, equitable, and efficient transportation system that can create jobs, encourage businesses to invest in our state, and enhance the quality of life for our residents. During this time in the General Assembly, I put a heavy emphasis on constituent service and listening directly to my constituents. Nearly 80 percent of the legislation have introduced in the Maryland General Assembly, came directly from speaking with my constituents. This is a dedication to public service which I have held for my entire career. Before becoming a state legislator, I served as a transportation engineer for 25 years with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. I had chosen this path of public service because, as an immigrant, I wanted to give back to the country that had given me so much, the country which in the hardest times treated me with empathy, compassion, and fairness. I don’t want to just open doors of opportunities, I want to knock the doors down, lift people up, and help every man, woman and child to become who they were meant to be.
I believe that one of the most important issues is access to affordable healthcare. No Marylander should have to choose between obtaining life-saving treatment or feeding their family. So, federal actions to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) make healthcare Maryland’s, and the nation’s most pressing issue. This includes ensuring affordable and accessible healthcare, providing appropriate resources to attack the opioid epidemic, and addressing rural and other health disparities. In addition, another pressing issue is not only maintaining, but expanding access to good paying jobs. On the federal level, I will address this issue by advocating for greater investments in infrastructure development and improvement. Not only does the construction of these projects come with its own good paying jobs, but it creates the backbone for future and existing businesses to build themselves upon, allowing the middle class to thrive. Also, I feel it is of utmost importance for us as a nation to work to prevent gun violence. We can reduce gun violence in America, but we must use science to do so. That is why I support the repeal of the “Dickey Amendment” that prevents the Center for Disease Control (CDC) from researching causes and preventative measures for gun violence. As a state legislator, I helped expand background checks for all commercial gun sales, pushed legislation to reduce magazine sizes, ban bump stocks and co-sponsored legislation to make our Maryland Universities gun-free zones. As I have done in Annapolis, in Congress I will support a national ban on semi-automatic assault weapons, high capacity magazines and an outlawing of bump stocks that effectively convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic ones.
David Trone
Democrat, Potomac
I grew up on a struggling family farm cleaning hog and chicken pens. After the farm went bankrupt, I took out student loans to earn an MBA at The Wharton School of Business. Starting with one store, I built Total Wine & More which is the largest independent wine retailer in the United States and will end the year with close to 7,000 team members in 191 stores across 22 states, including 650 at our headquarters in Montgomery County. I’ve spent my career in business investing in people. In most retail 25 percent of employees are full-time and get benefits. 75 percent of our employees at Total Wine are full-time and get full benefits like family medical leave, paid time off, healthcare, and GED and college programs. I’m running for Congress because I believe that government needs to invest in people by providing universal pre-K, expanding the Affordable Care Act so everyone has health coverage, funding medical research at the NIH to find cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, and investing in infrastructure projects like widening I-270. And I’m not taking any money from special interest PACs or lobbyists. The only interests I’ll be accountable to in Congress are those of the Sixth District voters.